AQUOS LCD TV Production Passes the Ten Million Mark

Worldwide production of AQUOS LCD TVs passed the 10 million mark on May 31, 2006. This number was reached in the five years and five months since Sharp introduced the AQUOS as the “TV for the 21st century” in January 2001, and is the first in the industry for LCD TVs*1.

With broadcasting infrastructure rapidly switching from analog to digital, LCD TVs are now in rapidly increasing demand worldwide as the main TV for a new era of digital image entertainment. LCD TVs, which are perfectly suited to digital broadcasts, have not only overcome their screen size limitations; they have also rapidly improved in viewing quality performance factors such as moving image display quality and viewing angle.

The AQUOS has strived to create new markets, and today, it is meeting every possible need of consumers. The AQUOS has models ranging from 13V to 65V inches, a wide lineup not available with other flat-panel display TVs. It has also presented new ways to enjoy TV, such as introducing battery-equipped wireless models. And now the AQUOS includes full-spec HD models*2 that reproduce the rich, vivid colors provided by digital broadcasts in almost lifelike quality.

The latest chapter in the AQUOS story begins this fall with the scheduled start of operations at Kameyama Plant No. 2. Using eighth-generation glass substrates (2,160×2,400 mm), the plant boasts first-of-a-kind manufacturing processes and materials. Kameyama Plant No. 2 will allow Sharp to secure a stable supply system to respond to rapidly growing worldwide demand for large 40V-inch-class and 50V-inch-class LCD TVs.

As the leading LCD TV manufacturer, Sharp will continue to give consumers what they want: LCD TVs that offer superior environmental performance such as energy efficiency and a long service life, and the bright, high-resolution, beautiful images the world has come to expect from Sharp.

The AQUOS name concept is derived from the combination of words “aqua” and “quality,” evoking the image of the fluidity of liquid crystal materials. Sharp named its series of LCD TVs “AQUOS” to symbolize a 21st century television that offers both performance and quality befitting Earth, the beautiful planet of water we dwell on.